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By late 1860, the tension between the North and the South had reached a breaking point. There was a major division between the Republicans and the Democrats, centered around their differing views on naturalization of immigrants, the construction of a trans-continental railroad, and especially slavery. As the election grew nearer, the Republicans nominated long shot Abraham Lincoln, while the Democrats, divided over slavery and other issues, met at two different conventions and elected two different candidates, Douglas and Breckinridge. This election truly epitomized the division in the country; all the support in the North went to Lincoln or Douglas, and in the South to Breckinridge and the Constitutional Union Party's John Bell; Lincoln's name didn't even appear on many Southern ballots. In the end, Lincoln won the election without carrying a single Southern state. Realizing how little power they actually had over the events and politics of the country, the South seceded from the Union later that year. |
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